Nabilah Husna

PhD Candidate in Sociology

Decolonial solidarity and co-resistance: Southeast Asian Tangata Tiriti experiences

Supervisors: Maria Bargh and Janepicha Cheva-Isarakul

The political and social landscapes of Southeast Asia have been severely and unevenly impacted by Western imperialism, colonialism and colonial governmentality. My study explores the journeys of decolonial solidarity among Tangata Tiriti in Aotearoa, who have lived experiences or roots in Southeast Asian nations.

How does political conscientisation around decolonisation, indigeneity and Indigenous sovereignty develop over time and across constructed borders? How do solidarity practices reflect recognition of global anti-colonial/decolonial struggle? How does relationality and place-based solidarity emerge in the 'everyday'? And, importantly, how can examining ToC's experiences support movements towards constitutional transformation, as envisioned in Matike Mai, and build an international framework of struggle for decolonisation?

My interviews with Southeast Asian tauiwi who stand in solidarity with tangata whenua to further Te Tiriti-justice and mana motuhake demonstrate how conscientisation and praxis emerge in intimate and unique ways. I explore how epistemological journeys evolve through the rejection of multiple forms of white supremacist, neoliberal capitalist, Western hegemonic education; critical reflections of lived experiences under authoritarian and oppressive states; and ethical recollections of cultural and political family histories (among other elements).

Contact: nabilah.binteabdulrahman@vuw.ac.nz